A Christmas Wish
by Gabrielle MB
Summary: Yuletide cheer! A story about Harry, Draco and odd Christmas presents. Slight Slash, HarryDraco


A Christmas wish  
  
Author: Gabrielle MoonBeam  
  
Fandom: Harry Potter (everything belongs to J.K Rowling, I'm just borrowing Harry and Draco)  
  
Archive: Fanfiction.net, but if you want it, just ask and it's yours :)  
  
Warnings: Fluffiness, shonen ai, Christmas cheer. Harry/Draco (Mentions of Ron/Hermione, Sirius/Remus, Dean/Seamus, Neville/Percy)  
  
Notes: I originally wrote this sometime around July and August and printed it. Then all of my files got destroyed, and I had to write this all over again. -_- Annoying!  
  
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Draco Malfoy sat in the Slytherin common room feeling completely and utterly depressed.  
  
He heaved a huge sigh, a thing he wouldn't normally do, and just merely stared at the flames flickering in the fireplace. The pale boy's eyes glimmered slightly green as the light of the crackling fire reflected in the silver pools.  
  
The Christmas holidays had just started, and the Slytherin sixth-year would've normally been strutting around his family manor by now, if his parents wouldn't have decided to visit a faraway relative and leave him suffering at school.  
  
To top everything off, every one of the other Slytherin students had left for the holidays so Draco had no one to talk to. Not that he wanted to even see the other gits in his year. He turned in his chair, dangling his feet over the other armrest, and snorted half-heartedly.  
  
He was just beginning to get desperate when he heard noises coming from outside. Obviously someone was having a good time playing around in the snow, and had no respect whatsoever towards Draco's now ruined brooding.  
  
The pale boy sat properly up in his chair and weighed his options. He could stay in the common room and sulk, or go up to the dorm and read, or go out into the bright mid winter sunlight to see who was having so much fun. Not that he'd join in the games or anything... Draco nodded to himself and got up from the comfy armchair.  
  
Draco climbed the stairs up to the boys' dorm and opened his trunk. He dug out a warm turtleneck the shade of palest winter blue, and pulled in over his head. Draco was reaching for his warm boots when something in his trunk made him stop mid-action.  
  
It was a moving picture of Harry, the object of Draco's first hatred, then jealousy and now, when he was sixteen and having his puberty hit full on, love. Draco heaved another sigh, and brushed his blond locks off his face. The Harry in the picture cocked his head and smiled at Draco winningly. The pale boy touched the glossy surface of the photograph with a fond smile on his lips, flipped his trunk shut and headed back to the common room.  
  
Draco pulled on his boots, and grabbed his cloak from the backrest of the chair he'd been lazing in earlier. He flung it over his shoulders and did the silver clasp on the front deftly, trying to hurry to get out as soon as possible.  
  
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Draco pushed the heavy front doors of the school shut behind him, and blinked in the bright light of the sun. He cocked his head and listened carefully.  
  
Someone was laughing just around the corner, and Draco, with his curiosity piqued, headed towards the sound. It was a truly beautiful day, not a cloud in sight, the sun shining in the clear sky. Some of the few winter birds chirped their greetings as Draco passed them on his way to see who was laughing.  
  
He was just about to round the corner, when someone crashed into his full on, causing the both of them to go rolling down the slope towards the lake. A surprised yell of: "Harry!" barely registered in Draco's hazy mind.  
  
The tumbling boys came to a halt on the frozen bank of the lake, tangled together, the boy who had hit Draco laughing. The boy propped himself up on his elbows and smiled down at Draco, who was currently feeling a bit dizzy with his hair all over his face.  
  
"Whoa! I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?", the other boy asked, but made no move to get off Draco's chest, his long legs tangled with the stranger's.  
  
Except that the stranger wasn't a stranger anymore, for Draco had recognized his voice.  
  
"Oh shit", Draco thought, "Can it get any worse?"  
  
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"Oi! Did you hear me?" Harry's voice was edged with concern. He reached out his hand to flick the silver strands off the other boy's face. In some distant corner of his mind, Harry noted that the hair was remarkably soft and that he'd seen it somewhere before. When he caught sight of astonished gray eyes peering back into his widened emerald ones, he was positive of who it was.  
  
Malfoy. Harry's greatest rival, but also his secret love interest. To make a long story short, Harry had woken up one night extremely sticky with images of a naked Draco lying in his bed and kissing him still vividly carved in his mind, and had been at least lusting after the pale boy ever since.  
  
Back to moment at hand... Harry mentally slapped himself.  
  
Harry's mind was screaming at him to get up, up, up and run the hell away from Draco, but his heart, not to mention his body, had different ideas. They were getting very fond of the feeling of Draco pinned underneath him, their only complaint being about the amount of clothes present.  
  
Harry shook his head, sending droplets of cold water spraying in every direction. He pushed himself reluctantly up and off Malfoy, giving the rumpled boy a last, approving look before offering his hand to him. To Harry's utter amazement Draco took hold of the hand, grasping the chilly fingers in his own for a heartbeat that lasted forever and got up from the ground himself.  
  
They both stood there for a while, dusting themselves off, Harry not looking worse for wear as he'd been in a snowball fight with Ron and the Weasley twins. Draco, on the other hand, had drenched his turtleneck almost throughoutly and his hair was sticking to his face in soggy clumps. Harry offered his greatest rival a dazzling grin.  
  
"So... What're you doing outside?" Harry asked, a bit startled by his audacity. Draco eyed him suspiciously, letting the moment stretch into an awkward silence before snorting.  
  
"That's none of your business Har... Potter!" Draco spat, and promptly blushed. He had almost called Harry by his first name, which was a definite no-no in their case.  
  
Harry blinked at Draco for a couple of moments, then shrugged and pushed his glasses up his nose.  
  
"Okay, Malfoy. Whatever you say" Harry said, turning his back to Draco, and started his journey back up the slope, slipping in the snow.  
  
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Draco smiled at the necklace he held in his hand. He had traipsed back up to the castle to change out of his soaked wet turtleneck, and to add the finishing touches to the Christmas present he was going to give to Harry.  
  
So there he sat on his bed, his hair still somewhat wet, his body nice and dry. Draco had on a new pullover the deepest shade of emerald green (the color of Harry's eyes, of course. Not that the oblivious Gryffindor would ever notice, Draco thought, sulking) adorning his torso and arms. The gift for Harry rested in his lap.  
  
The pendant itself was a beautiful, thin round plate of silver decorated with a beautiful, skillfully done lion and snake coiled around each other, their heads touching. Winding carvings decorated the edges, and the other side was blank. Draco had bought the amulet from a girl on the street, who had shyly touched his arm and then given the pendant to Draco, whispering of a very small fee for it. He had fallen in love with the delicate piece of jewelry, bought it on the spot, and was now thinking about what to carve into the back.  
  
Draco tapped his chin with the tip of his wand, deep in thought. His lips curled upwards in a smile when he thought of the perfect carving and he raised his wand at the plain back.  
  
"Carvious Curlious!" Draco bellowed (which didn't matter for he was the only Slytherin in the whole castle anyway) and with a theatrical flick of a wrist, text began shooting from the tip of his wand. He narrowed his silver eyes, peering into the surface. Draco watched with fascination at the words burning themselves to the surface in immaculate, curly handwriting.  
  
'From the snake to the lion, touch the pendant and fly on' it said, and underneath the carving, appeared the initials of Draco's name.  
  
The silver haired Slytherin nodded to himself, lay the pendant in a small box and wrapped the box in shining silver paper. Draco reached out to his trunk and lifted out a piece of parchment and a quill. He wrote a message, fastened it to the box with a scarlet ribbon and stood up. Draco stretched his aching back, and with an approving nod, left the dorm, leaving the package on the bed to be delivered by house elves to Harry.  
  
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The evening came all too quickly, and Harry, accompanied by a laughing Ron, Fred and George, climbed the steps to the main doors. They pulled the handles together and stepped into the welcoming warmth of the Entrance Hall. They still had a couple of hours until the Christmas feast would begin, and Harry was determined to finish wrapping his present for Draco. Harry trudged up the multiple staircases to the Gryffindor Tower, and went inside with his soggy companions.  
  
Harry and Ron entered their dormitory only to discover Dean and Seamus making out wildly on Dean's bed. Ron sputtered, turning an interesting shade of scarlet, but Harry hardly even raised an eyebrow. He was already used to the snuggling couple.  
  
"Honestly guys! Can't you go somewhere else to do that!" Ron ground out, his face still aflame.  
  
Dean looked up, snorting.  
  
"We have to put up with you and Hermione kissing around every feckin' corner, so why can't we snog where we bloody well want to?!" The dark skinned boy asked, then pressed a heated kiss to Seamus' pliant lips. The Irish boy moaned throatily.  
  
"And besides", Dean continued, breaking up for air, "it's not like we're the only gay couple in your near victinity! I've heard interesting things about Neville wrapping Percy around his little finger." He trailed off with a saucy wink, returning to his bedmate's lips.  
  
Ron's blush just deepened, but again Harry, who had gotten used to all this hassle, ignored all of them and went to his trunk. He lifted out a pendant from admist his clothes, and just sat there on his bed for a while, admiring the carvings on the front.  
  
The pendant was made of gold into the shape of a circle. The front was decorated with beautiful carvings on the edges, and a very astounding picture in the middle. Harry traced the agile, lithe body of the snake, his eyes wondering over the muscular form of the lion the snake was coiled around. It was a very beautiful piece of jewelry, indeed.  
  
Harry had bought the pendant from a small, ragged child on the cobblestone street of Diagon Alley before his fifth year at Hogwarts had began. The girl had shook his sleeve, offering up the glittering thing, whispering with a quiet voice. Harry had been transfixed with it from the beginning, and had thought about keeping the pendant for himself. But then, when Harry was about to climb aboard the Hogwarts Express, he'd spotted Draco Malfoy and for some odd reason he didn't want to closely inspect, he'd decided to give the necklace to the Slytherin boy.  
  
Harry sighed, turning the blank backside of the pendant into view. He tapped his chin with his wand thoughtfully, trying to come up with an inscription. The Gryffindor sixth-year sat there, unmoving for about half an hour, thinking. Ron was still muttering about the indecency of Dean and Seamus, and the other two boys were dutifully ignoring him.  
  
All in all, a very normal afternoon in the Gryffindor sixth-years' dorm.  
  
When Ron had finally stopped his ranting, when Dean and Seamus had closed the curtains of Dean's bed, Harry finally came up with a short poem. He lifted his wand, silently whispering the incantation.  
  
"Carvious Curlious", Harry mumbled, watching in awe at the silvery light streaming from the tip of his wand and carving the words in his mind into the surface of the pendant. He inspected his work.  
  
'From the lion to the snake, touch the pendant and shake' And under the text, the initials of Harry's name.  
  
The Boy who Lived gazed, satisfied, at his work, his lips moving into a smile. He brought out a piece of emerald paper from his trunk and wrapped the golden plate into it. Harry picked up a string of scarlet ribbon from between his socks, tying the package together with it. He dug around for his eagle-feather quill and upon finding it, pulled up a clean parchment from between the pages of his Transfiguration book.  
  
Harry spent a good amount of time wondering what to write, the sharp tip of his quill poised above the yellow surface. Finally he scribbled something, closed the parchment into an envelope, and tied it to the packet with infinite care.  
  
He left for the showers, the packet still resting on his blanket.  
  
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Draco made his way up the stairs from the Slytherin dungeons, muttering curses to himself. The corridor was nearly pitch-black, with none of the candles lined upon the wall lit. His lips had twisted into an adorable pout by the time he actually stepped into the Great Hall. The pout was forgotten in a heartbeat, as Draco took in his surroundings.  
  
The Hall was lit up with hundreds of candles and lanterns, multicolored light bouncing off the stone walls. Several fir-trees were decorated with the most beautiful things imaginable, the branches bending under the heavy weight. One of the trees had twinkling stars dropped carelessly upon it, glowing with their own light.  
  
The house tables were once again pushed to rest against the walls, one single long table in the middle of the floor. Many of the students staying in the school had already come down from their dorms and common rooms to bask in the atmosphere, their cheeks pink, smiles free.  
  
Draco made his way to the table, sitting down next to a nervous-looking Gryffindor first-year. Her eyes widened dramatically, the pink of her cheeks deepening into a very deep red blush. Draco glanced at her, his silver eyes glinting in the lights of the Hall. The girl gulped, turning back to face forwards, her hands shaking minutely.  
  
Draco smiled, the corners of his mouth spreading with glee. He was glad to know that not all were oblivious to his charms.  
  
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Harry, Ron, the Weasley twins, Seamus (with a big, stupid grin on his face) and Dean (who was trying not to look like he'd gotten laid), descended the stairs from the Gryffindor Tower, down to the Great Hall.  
  
They chatted lively, grabbing seats at the long, lone table in the Hall, leaning in towards each other to finish their discussion.  
  
It was only halfway in the meal, when Harry happened to glance at his left, and promptly forgot all about the joke he'd been telling to the Weasley twins and Ron. Harry noticed who was sitting next to him, with a small smile upon his pale lips, his snowy hair glimmering with a life of its own, his silver eyes sweeping over the people seated at the table. It was Malfoy. And, man, did he look like he'd escaped from a wet dream!  
  
Harry's eyes traveled over the lean body the emerald turtleneck that clung to the pale boy's chest, and the dark black trousers made of denim, presented. He couldn't rip his gaze off one milky white hand, its fingers splayed across a creamy cheek. He couldn't do anything, but admire the way white strands of hair curled over the neckline, brushing the pale boy's shoulders in snowy waves.  
  
Eventually, Harry did manage to turn his head, staring numbly at nothing at all for a moment. Then he shook his head and went back to eating.  
  
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Draco was having fun, listening in on conversations all over the table. He was greatly aware of Harry's warm, lean frame resting in the chair next to his, the pale boy's eyes moving discreetly over the darker boy's tapered fingers.  
  
Draco didn't have anyone to talk with, seeing that he was sitting between two Gryffindors, and that all of his fellow Slytherins had packed their things and fled the castle without a backwards look. Draco didn't particularly mind his solitude, already more than used to it by now. He did miss someone to discuss with, but since he didn't have anyone, might as well just observe.  
  
And what fun it was to observe the way Harry's eyes crinkled behind his glasses whenever he smiled, the way his hands would twirl out patterns in the air in front of him as he explained something or other to his fellow Gryffindors. Draco enjoyed the way Harry's lips curled as he laughed silently, trying not to disturb the meal. And Draco enjoyed every little joke the darker boy made, muffling his own chortles into his goblet of pumpkin juice.  
  
All in all, it was a pretty fun Christmas Feast.  
  
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Dumbledore stood up from his chair at the end of table, his eyes glinting behind his half-moon spectacles happily. He cleared his throat, waiting for the children and teachers to quiet down.  
  
"Ah, it is always a pleasure to see someone staying here at Hogwarts for Christmas! Maybe you don't think so highly of it, but I'm happy to see friendly faces around during the holidays", at this, he received identical chuckles from the Weasley twins, a smirk from Sirius who was sitting next to his lifemate Remus (their current DADA-teacher) and a muffled snort from Draco (who still had his face half-way in his goblet)  
  
"But still, as it is quite late, I'm afraid we have to be ending this feast soon. Have some Wizard Crakers, and then it's off to the Dormitories! Have a Merry Christmas and I'll see you all tomorrow at breakfast", Dumbledore concluded, sitting back down and offering the other ends of a Cracker to McGonagall.  
  
Harry pulled one of the many Crackers on the table with Ron, but then, as his eyes snuck a glance of Draco, he noticed that the fair boy had no one to pull a Cracker with. Harry fought with himself, pondering over his options, but when he saw the slightly sad glint in Malfoy's eyes, he tapped the boy on his shoulder.  
  
Draco's heart was racing, as he turned in his seat to face Harry with the Cracker. The Boy who Lived held out one slender hand, wriggling his forefinger in a come hither sort of way. Draco gulped, holding out the other end to Harry, and with a forceful tug on both ends, the Craker broke open.  
  
Just one thing fell from it, clattering loudly at it hit the table's wooden surface. Both boys' eyes widened.  
  
A pair of handcuffs.  
  
Harry and Draco stared at the cuffs for a moment, their cheeks aflame, before both made a mad dash for them. Draco managed to slip the metal from Harry's fingers, holding the cuffs to his chest tightly, closing his hands over the material. He leered at Harry.  
  
"Want to take them now, Potter?" Draco asked, a twinkle in his eyes that normally wasn't there.  
  
A sudden, hungry grin spread over Harry's lips, the corners turning upwards. He leaned in close to Draco, his breath ghosting over one delicate ear. Harry spoke, his lips nearly brushing against the flushed skin.  
  
"Maybe, Draco, just maybe"  
  
Draco's eyes widened at the sensual purr, but before he could react, the other boy had already left the table to head to the Gryffindor Tower with his friends. Draco's eyes followed the graceful stride before he shook his head, his blond hair whipping his face.  
  
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The next morning came along, touching the castle's frosty grounds with its frail, wispy fingers. Draco sat up in his bed, shrugging off the comforter from his bony shoulders. He pushed back sleep-tousled hair, his sleepy silver eyes taking in the pile of presents at the foot of his bed.  
  
Draco started to sort through the gifts, moving Pansy's gift straight off his bed and onto the floor. His lips twisted into a scowl, his eyes flashing. Draco hated the way the Slytherin girl couldn't understand that they were over, once and for all, and that Draco had never liked her in the first place. It had been his father's great idea to marry his son off into another Death Eater family. Draco made a face, reaching out for the next package.  
  
Cool, emerald and crispy paper met his long fingers, the envelope brushing against the back of his hand. Draco dragged the small packet into view, tugging at the envelope and finally succeeding in disentangling it from the string that tied it down.  
  
He opened the envelope, pulling out a piece of parchment. Draco's hands shook a little as he scanned the message it held.  
  
'Draco, it feels kind of weird to write to you and to know that you're going to read it. First of all, Merry Christmas! I bet you're wondering who's sent you this letter, but to ease your mind, I'm not Pansy. I daresay I'm as different as I can get! I'm from Gryffindor and I'm a boy. No, don't throw this letter away just yet! Or do so, if you wish, but just, try to read on, okay? This present that's attached to this letter should be enough for you to figure out who I am, and if you want to, you can come to me the next time we meet in the hallways. Your secret admirer.'  
  
The silver-haired boy lowered the letter, the shaking of his hands getting worse and worse. Draco had a feeling he'd seen the handwriting somewhere before, but couldn't for the life of him to remember where. He took the package into his hands and eased the paper open.  
  
All thought escaped him, as he took in the sight of the pendant laying there, safe on his palms. It was an exact copy of the pendant he'd give Harry, except that this was golden. Draco turned the pendant around, his eyes the size of dinner plates as he sat dumbly and read the engraved text.  
  
'From the lion to the snake, touch the pendant and shake. H.P.'  
  
The Slytherin dorms and common room were absolutely silent for a while, then a monstrous 'YES!' shook the dungeon, waking up the snoozing people in the portraits. A white blur dressed in nothing but pajamas sped past the groggily blinking men and women, out the dungeon door.  
  
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Harry swatted at the annoying tickling sensation at the tip of his nose, murmuring something. When the feeling refused to go away, he opened his eyes, peeved at whoever it was who had disturbed his delicious dream of a naked Draco with chocolate sauce dribbling down his belly.  
  
"Wha'?", Harry muttered, trying to focus his eyes on the red dot hovering above him.  
  
"Wake up Harry! Presents!" Ron bellowed, making Harry jump. The Boy who Lived sat up, reaching for his glasses on the bedside table, and settling them down on his nose. He lifted an eyebrow at Ron's enthusiastic bouncing, his jet-black hair sticking up at every direction.  
  
Then what Ron had said finally made sense to Harry's sleep-muddled mind. He glanced at the pile at his feet, smiling brightly and edged closer to the promising packages.  
  
Harry got a box of 'Bubbly Bubbler's Bumbling Bumblebees' (a new wizard candy without any sugar, but still sweet) from Hermione, a book on broomsticks from Hagrid, a new jumper (it was blue with a green lightning) and homemade fudge from Mrs. Weasley and a new Wizard Chess set from Ron (he vowed they'd listen to Harry, but he wasn't so sure)  
  
The last present caught Harry's eye, the package and envelope resting on his blanket. He picked up the envelope and tore it open.  
  
'Hello, Harry, and Merry Christmas to you. I'm not one to write long letters, as I believe that actions speak louder than words. Still, this is important. I'm a reluctant admirer of yours, a Slytherin and a boy. Not disgusted? If not, then the gift in the paper will tell you who I am. If you want to, you can seek me out and have your wicked way with me.'  
  
Harry blinked. Then blinked again. Re-read the letter, his hands trembling, but still he couldn't even begin to guess who it was from. Oh, he knew who he wanted it to be from, but that wouldn't happen in a million years.  
  
He laid the letter carefully down, opening the gift. And stared.  
  
There, in his lap, sat an exact copy of his pendant to Malfoy, only this one was silver, not golden. Even the animals in the front were the same. Harry turned the pendant over, blinking.  
  
'From the snake to lion, touch the pendant and fly on. D.M'  
  
Ron was leaning in to see what Harry held in his hands when the jet-black haired boy bounded up from his bed, screamed something incomprehensible and sped through the dorm door.  
  
The redhead blinked, dug his ear, and shook his head.  
  
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Harry and Draco raced through the corridors, not caring if anyone saw them, their only thoughts about finding the other. It seemed the fate was with them, as in the middle of an unnamed corridor, the boys literally ran into each other, landing on their backs on the cold floor.  
  
Draco sat up, about to tell the person that'd run into him off, when he noticed who it actually was.  
  
It was Harry.  
  
Who was crawling towards him on all fours, a predatory smile upon his lips, his teeth glinting. Draco rubbed the back of his head, eyeing Harry with a twinkle in his own eyes as the dark-haired boy advanced upon him.  
  
With a silent, fond smile at each other, Harry and Draco's lips met in a soft kiss, the first of many. No words were needed at that time, their touches speaking for them, their minds clouded over.  
  
Snow fell, brushing the nearby window, as the rivals kissed soundly in the empty corridor, Draco's butt slowly freezing from the coldness of the floor.  
  
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*smiles* Hyvaa joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta! (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!) 


End file.
